Trips abroad offer unique learning opportunities for Columbus State students

The opportunity to study or travel abroad is not the first thing most people would expect from a community college education. But this summer, a number of exciting trips abroad are available to Columbus State students, offering up to five credit hours packed into one or two weeks of fascinating travel and learning experiences.

"Traveling abroad with a student group can be a life-changing experience," says Bob Queen, administrator for Global Initiatives and coordinator for all of Columbus State's study abroad trips. "It gives the student's education a global perspective that can never be obtained through a book. It's a challenging task to arrange and schedule these trips, but especially in the community college environment, offering the chance to travel and learn adds so much value to their education," says Queen.

Columbus State currently offers trips to Greece, France, Mexico, Italy and Jamaica. According to Queen, several additional trips are being considered including Australia, China and Kazakstan. A Summer Quarter trip to northwest New Mexico and Arizona is also offered to study Native American cultures including the Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Navajo and Havasupai tribes.

The Southwest Experience, coordinated by Michael Schumacher of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, offers five credits for SSCI 101 and costs $1,500, covering roundtrip airfare, meals, lodging, entrance and admission fees to various locations, and supplemental health insurance. Students hike and camp in the Grand Canyon, visit Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly on the Navajo Reservation, meet Native American artists and study cultural diversity. Many of the overnights are spent camping, and students bring their own camping equipment.

Schumacher states in his itinerary for the trip, "despite being in some of the more remote areas of the country, we will rarely be far from a WalMart, should you forget something or an unexpected need arises!"

The application deadline is rapidly approaching for the newest trip in the travel abroad roster-learning about Ancient Greek Civilization (HUM 299) in Greece. The trip, departing June 10 and returning June 25, costs $2,980, offers five credit hours and combines the trip abroad with a web-based course. Assistant Professor Mark Bocija is coordinating this exciting new travel opportunity for students.

Associate Professor Daniel Chaney has taken a group of students on a study abroad experience to Cuernavaca, Mexico, for several years and has reported on his experiences in past issues of Update. About 50 miles south of Mexico City, Cuernavaca stands at an altitude of 5,280 feet and is surrounded by ravines, tropical vegetation and waterfalls.

The trip is a true "study abroad" as the students are housed with local families and study at the Cemanahuac Language School for four hours daily. The students also are able to immerse themselves in the culture and daily life of the town and take field trips to historic and cultural locations. The course offers a two-week or four-week option, for $1,677 or $2,396, respectively, and students can earn up to five credit hours in Spanish, even if they have never studied the language, as coursework is geared to their individual skill level.

"It was the experience of my lifetime," said Columbus State graduate Rachel Neville, who traveled with the group in 2004. "I improved my Spanish tremendously being there and gained such an appreciation of the Mexican culture. It helped me realize I would enjoy a career in which I could use my second language to help people."

The Biological and Physical Sciences Department will again offer a marine biology field experience studying in Jamaica, diving and snorkeling in the reefs of the Caribbean, with geological excursions to Green Grotto Caves, Dunns River Falls and the Blue Mountain Rain Forest. Coordinated by Assistant Professor John Francis, Ph.D., the trip departs June 14 and returns June 22, offering two credit hours for BIO 104 and 105. The $2,000 cost does not include tuition, but covers transportation, food and lodging.

Two Modern Language faculty with several years of travel abroad experience between them, Julie Molnar, Ph.D., and Marie Claire Menard, are coordinators of the 2005 Cultural Tour de France, departing June 8 for two weeks in Paris. Says Molnar, "I'm like Madeline in the famous children's story, rushing around trying to take everything in at once, while Marie Claire is like Miss Clavel, making sure the trains run on time."

Students will tour Paris traveling the Seine starting at the Eiffel Tower and finishing by touring the Louvre. The group will ride the famous TGV Bullet Train to Avignon on the Rhone River, and then tour various historic and cultural locations in the Provence region, including ancient Roman theatres of Nimes, the aqueduct of Pont-du-Gard, and the famous town of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer.

Students are not required to enroll in a French class, but can earn two credit hours for FREN 299 by completing an individualized project upon their return. "Whatever the students dreamed or fantasized about France, they are always amazed," said Molnar. They have the opportunity to taste it, learn it and live it. An opportunity to travel abroad is a key part of the personal formation that is education. They will never regret it."

The King Arts Complex and Columbus State are co-sponsoring a performance and workshop by the critically acclaimed actor, rapper, playwright and educator Will Power. He'll be performing excerpts of his spoken word theater musical Flow, which played at the New York Theatre. Combining hip-hop with theater, Will Power's performances are spellbinding.

Will Power will conduct a residency workshop at Columbus State's Nestor Hall Auditorium on April 13, starting at 11 a.m. There is no charge to attend. His performance will be held at the Kings Arts Complex Theater on Saturday, April 16, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, $12 and $15 ($10 to Columbus State students with a valid ID) and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the King Arts Complex box office, 867 Mt. Vernon Avenue. Click on the poster at right for a full size pdf.

The Development Foundation Office has announced that 162 scholarships totaling $249,075 are available for the 2005-06 academic year. Scholarship booklets with applications are available in the Financial Aid Office, Advising and Counseling Center, Admissions, the ERC and on the college's website from the Financial Aid page. Applications for the scholarships will be accepted until May 1, 2005.

Companies and individuals including Columbus State faculty and staff help to fund these scholarships through the Annual Fund Drive. The goal of this year's drive is to increase employee participation in order to fund more scholarships and special projects.

"We are counting on our employees to help make the students dreams come true," said Matt Kelly, executive director of the Development Foundation. For more information, contact the Development Foundation Office at extension 2436.

As In-Service approaches, you might be wondering how your fellow coworkers are named Staff Employee of the Month or Year.

Recognizing staff members for excellence over and above their job responsibilities, the Staff Employee of the Month (SEOM) committee recently revamped the program to increase awareness of the many employee accomplishments. SEOM Chair Joyce Willison says, "Just knowing you've been recognized by your peers is truly an honor. When you win the award, there's a sense of excitement and amazement that your colleagues think so much of you." She continued, "The rest of the committee and I want more people to experience that feeling."

Since January, the committee, consisting of five past employees of the month, has developed a new look for the program and new nomination guidelines and is designing nominee congratulations cards and looking at ways to expand recognition.

Eligible staff members can be nominated for staff employee of the month for their exemplary achievements or efforts in: making a difference to Columbus State or members of the campus community, going above and beyond expectations, excelling as a team player, or striving to bring out the Columbus State spirit in others.

Each committee member ranks nominees based on their achievements, and the committee discusses the nominees and makes a selection. The recipient receives a $100 award, a certificate presented by President Moeller, a reserved parking spot for one month or a $25 bookstore gift certificate, and their picture displayed in the president's office, human resources, and their department. Those nominated but not chosen are kept in consideration for six months.

If you're interested in nominating a colleague, viewing past recipients or want more information, visit the SEOM website www.cscc.edu/sac/staffemp.htm. If you have questions, contact the SEOM committee members below:

Please join the Arts and Sciences Division for their Faculty Lecture Series Wednesday, April 6, at 3 p.m. in Nestor Hall Seminar Room D , for a slide show report on the Tasaday of the Philippines. Travel with journalist/photographer John Nance and explore the history of the Tasaday, from their discovery as cave-dwelling foragers in 1971, to their life as householders and farmers in 2005.

A 45-minute commentated slide presentation on the Tasaday will be followed by a question and answer period. Nance has been reporting on the Tasaday since the initial contacts with them in 1971. He has written three books about the Tasaday and produced a short film about them for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Oregon Committee on the Humanities.

The discovery of these people is of great scientific interest, particularly to the studies of human cultural and technological development. Some scholars have said contacting the Tasaday was one of the most significant anthropological events of the 20th century.

“In addition to being heralded as extraordinary when first contacted in 1971, the Tasaday made headlines again in the latter 1980s when they were accused of being a hoax,” said Nance. “Anthropologists and other researchers subsequently established their authenticity, and they remain in the forest still today, but the 34 years in contact with the world outside the forest has changed them, as the photos in the presentation will attest,” said Nance.

John Nance graduated from the University of Oregon Journalism School in 1957, and from 1965-1967 covered the Vietnam War as a correspondent. From 1968 to 1972 he was the Associated Press Bureau Chief in Manila. Based on nine field visits to the Tasaday tribe in the Phillipines, he wrote the book The Gentle Tasaday in 1975. From 1986 to the present he as made 17 more visits, the most recent in February 2005.

Attend the Columbus Clipper annual Colleges and Universities Family Night April 22 with free tickets available at the Cashier's Office. Gates will open at 6 p.m. with the game against the Durham Bulls starting at 7:05 p.m. The first 2,500 fans will receive a voucher for a mystery bobble-head. There is a limit of four tickets per employee and quantities are limited.

The Marketing & Graphic Communications Department has partnered with several agencies in the Columbus area to bring the Delta Nu Alpha (DNA) Transportation & Logistics Fraternity to Central Ohio. DNA is an international organization of professional men and women working in or exploring a career in transportation and logistics--a broad field encompassing a wide variety of careers.

Logistics professionals manage all aspects of the pipeline that keeps goods and services moving. Columbus' central location and the availability of multiple modes of transportation have enhanced its development as a strategic distribution hub for the United States. The Greater Columbus metropolitan area is home to many distribution operations including centers for The Limited Inc., Spiegel, Eddie Bauer, JCPenny, Kraft, Consolidated Stores Corporation, and McGraw-Hill Companies.

Several students, faculty, staff and local business leaders attended the first DNA meeting on March 2, where the guest speaker was Marc Blubaugh, Transportation Attorney with Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan and Aronoff LLP. Logistics Program Coordinator Lee Blyth was pleased at the wide range of fields represented at the first meeting.

The next quarterly meeting for this supply chain management organization will be Wednesday, May 4, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and will be held in Nestor Hall Seminar Room A . The guest speaker will be Steve Foster, senior manager of domestic transportation for The Limited Logistics Group. His presentation will be "Relationships and The Driving Forces in Supply Chain Management." Department Chair, Mary Vaughn invites everyone with an interest in supply chain management, purchasing, warehousing or distribution to attend.

For more information on DNA or Columbus State's Logistics Program, please contact the department's main number at 5010, e-mail the program directly at logistics@cscc.edu, or visit the national DNA website at http://www.deltanualpha.org.

Leader to Leader Institute names Columbus State YAATC program "Innovation of the Week"

Columbus State's Youth and Adult Automotive Training Center (YAATC) was named Nonprofit Innovation of the Week for March 30 - April 5 by the Leader to Leader Institute, an organization founded in 1990 by Peter Drucker and his Foundation for Nonprofit Management.

YAATC provides technically inclined, disadvantaged or displaced persons an opportunity to improve the quality of their lives through a structured program of social, academic and professional development centered on automotive technology.

"Much has been made about the success of welfare to work programs as welfare rolls decline in Ohio and other states," states the Institute's announcement. "But these programs have consistently focused on getting any job, rather than developing skills to advance in the work world. YAATC provides technical training for a high-wage potential job, along with soft skills to improve the ability of the trainees to stay employed."

The Leader to Leader Institute serves as a broker of intellectual capital, bringing together the finest thought leaders, consultants, and authors in the world with the leaders of social sector voluntary organizations. To view the Innovation of the Week webpage, go to www.L2Li.org/innovation.

The Department of Biological & Physical Sciences is looking for volunteers to serve as judges for the CONSEF Science Fair, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, April 30, at Columbus State. This is the second year that Columbus State has hosted this science fair specifically for charter schools. For your four-hour time commitment, you'll receive a free lunch, a certificate of appreciation, and a sincere "Thank you" for supporting the mission of service to the community. If you're interested, please contact Jeff Richardson, ext. 5839, or Mike Squires, ext. 5944, to volunteer.